Crash Into Me
by Malonyx
Summary: While distracted, Eren crashes his car into Levi's, leaving him with a broken arm, while Levi slips into a coma. The guilt overcomes Eren, especially when he finds out that Levi doesn't have any family. He takes it upon himself to support and care for Levi through his comatose state until he wakes up. Eren slowly finds himself growing attached to the man.
1. Crash

**A/N: Okay, so, I started writing this first chapter a few months ago, but I never got around to finishing it. I decided to finish it last night… just because, so here you go. I don't know yet if I want to continue this, that's up to you guys. Sooo, let me know what you think and if you want me to continue this story. ****Enjoy!**

* * *

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

Eren groaned and removed one hand from the steering wheel, fishing his cellphone out of his pocket and pressing '_End Call.'_ After pressing the off button on the phone, the brunette slipped it back into his jeans. He knew that he needed to focus on getting back to his apartment since it was already dark outside.

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

"Damn it!" He growled, once again pulling out the buzzing little device, this time, answering to his pestering older sister.

"Mikasa can't it wait? I'm busy."

"_No it can _not_ wait Eren! I haven't talked to you in almost a full week and this is the only time I'm off from work!"_

Eren let out a deep sigh, trying to make sure to focus on the road and keep his sister conversationally satisfied at the same time.

"All right, what do you wanna talk about then?"

"_Ugh where do I begin? Oh yeah! That Jean guy asked me out again. You know, the guy with the horse face. I might have actually considered saying yes if he wasn't so desperate. I mean, desperation isn't exactly an attractive thing you know-"_

Mikasa's ranting was cut off when Eren's cell accidently stumbled out of his hand, falling between the center console and the driver's seat. He let out yet another irritated groan, reaching his hand down into the cramped space.

"Shit, it's really deep down there… Damn it where is-"

Eren's voice hitched in his throat when he suddenly felt his body violently jolt forward. All he could hear was the distinct sound of glass shattering and tires screeching.

* * *

_Wh-What the hell just happened?_ Eren thought to himself as his eyes fluttered open. A sharp pain shot through his collarbone. There was a harsh bruise there from where the seatbelt had dug into him during the collision. Once Eren began comprehending what was going on, he pushed his car door open, sighing in relief when he was confident that his legs were still fully functional, although they were a bit stiff. His mouth gaped at the sight in front of him. The hood of his silver Honda Civic was absolutely crushed, and his windshield had been shattered. But the damage done to his car was not nearly as bad as the other victim of the accident. Eren panicked for a moment before darting over to the overturned black Sedan.

_Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Oh fuck._

Eren fell to his hands and knees, his eyes frantically searching for the driver of the demolished vehicle. Within seconds he found a man, covered in scrapes cuts and blood. Tears began streaming down Eren's cheeks from the intense trauma he was suffering, but he ignored it and reached his arm into the broken window of the car, unbuckling the man's seatbelt. He immediately caught the falling body and attempted to tug him out of the wreck, releasing a breath he didn't know he was holding after he freed the man. Eren could only use one arm, his other one was throbbing with pain. The bone of his elbow was actually sticking out from the wound, but Eren was too overwhelmed with adrenaline to notice.

The man who he had pulled out had a large gash along the bridge of his nose and one on his forehead. One of his eyes was swollen shut and his lip appeared to be cut open. He had a similar bruise as Eren on his collarbone, most likely from his seatbelt, and there were shards of glass adorning his bloody face. Eren pressed his ear against the man's chest, shuddering out a sigh of relief when he heard a steady heartbeat. He remembered that his own cell phone had been lost right before the incident so he reached his hand down to feel around the man's pocket, pulling out a now cracked phone.

The brunette was once again relieved when he unlocked the man's phone without the need for a passcode. He shakily pressed the phone to his ear, wincing when the pain from each of his injuries was becoming more intense. I guess the adrenalin had been blocking out the pain, until now at least.

"_911 What's your emergency?" _

"T-T-There was a c-car accident…" Eren looked up the street sign, "n-near the intersection of S-Sina Boulevard and Rose Avenue," He whimpered, his words burning in his throat as he tried keeping his tears to a minimum.

"I think I'm f-fine, but I hit this guy and he's unconscious, a-and he has a lot of injuries. He looks like he lost a lot of b-blood. I-It's all my fault! I wasn't looking! It's my fault!" Eren began sobbing into the phone, supporting the unconscious man with his good arm. He just prayed that this man would come out alive. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he cost someone their life.

"_Listen to me, just calm down. It's called a car _accident_ for a reason, okay? I'm sure that he will be fine. An ambulance is on its way and I'm going to need you to calm down. Just breathe hun." _The friendly voice on the other end helped Eren calm down a bit. He wiped the tears from his face and took a deep breathe as instructed, his anxiety easing a bit when he heard the sound of sirens nearing.

"Th-Thank you mam, I-I think the ambulance is getting close. Thank y-you again."

"_No problem hun."_

Eren sighed and put the phone back into the man's now bloody slacks, turning his head to see the bright lights of the ambulance sirens rounding the corner. Eren looked down at the man, seeing two gray eyes starting hazily back at him. Their eyes stayed locked on each other for what seemed like forever until the brunette began to feel hazy. There was a flash of white and he blacked out just before the vehicle arrived.

* * *

Eren's eyes reopened and he shot up in what he realized to be a hospital bed, wincing at the sudden sharp pain shooting through his left arm. A young nurse peeked her head in and entered the small room, shutting the door behind her. The woman had shoulder length strawberry-blonde hair and a short stature. Her lips were set in a friendly smile as she approached Eren's bed, a medical chart in her hand. Eren gazed to his left and saw a sleeping Mikasa passed out in one of the two chairs. He smiled weakly and looked back at the nurse, who was currently fiddling around with his IV bag.

"I'm glad to see your awake, Mr. Jaeger. My name is Petra. I'm one of the nurses here at Trost Medical Center."

"Is he okay?" The brunette blurted suddenly, referring to the man he had crashed into. The nurse looked at the young man with a confused expression before nodding her head in realization.

"Who? Oh, yes. You mean Mr. Ackerman? I'm sorry but if you are not family, I'm afraid I cannot provide you with the details."

Petra frowned in pity when she saw the disappointed look on the younger man's face. He looked up at her with those gleaming green eyes and she sighed, giving in to his puppy-dog pout. She leaned in closely and hugged the clipboard to her chest.

"I'll make a small exception for you dear. His name is Levi Ackerman. All I can tell you is that his vitals are stable, but he has slipped into a comatose state. We do not know when or if he will awake, but his physical wounds are not too severe. He has a fractured collarbone, a minor neck sprain from the whiplash, a broken ankle, a concussion, and several gashes on his body. But, not to worry dear, he will easily recover from these wounds in time. The main issue is his brain. We still don't know the extend of his brain damage but-"

"Ms. Ral?"

"You didn't hear it from me," She whispered to Eren. The nurse stood up straight and hustled toward the tall doctor by the door.

"I was just changing his IV. Excuse me doctor." She nervously smiled at the man and turned back to Eren once she was standing at a good distance from the open door. She placed a finger against her lips and Eren chuckled lightly, nodding his head toward her.

"Hello Mr. Jaeger I am your doctor, Dr. Erwin Smith."

Eren shifted his focus back to the other man, greeting him politely. He turned his head when he heard a shifting noise coming from one of the chairs. Mikasa was waking up. The girl's eyes shot open and she darted to Eren's side, weeping uncontrollably. She hooked onto Eren's well arm and buried her face against her injured brother.

"Oh Eren! You're alive!"

Eren rolled his eyes and rubbed his sister's back soothingly as she wet his shoulder with her tears. Within seconds her sobbing ceased and she sat up straight, her relieved expressions turning into a scowl.

"You moron! You need to be more careful when you're on the road! You nearly got yourself killed you idiot!"

Eren quirked an eyebrow at Mikasa's sudden change in attitude and chuckled, grabbing a few tissues and handing them to her.

"I know I know I'm sorry. I promise I'll be more careful," He reassured as Mikasa dried her eyes and cheeks.

Eren turned back to his doctor, who had an amused expression on his face, most likely from Mikasa's brief moment of hysteria. He walked over to the other side of Eren's bed, flipping through some of the pages on his chart.

"Anyways, Mr. Jaeger, about your condition. As you might have noticed, your injuries are minimal. Besides the several scrapes and bruises, there was no severe trauma done to your brain besides a small concussion. The only reason we may need you here for another week or so is because of your arm. It has been broken in two places and we have put a cast on it for now. You are scheduled for surgery in about two weeks and you will be in the hospital during your recovery. But besides that, you are a very lucky young man."

Eren smiled at the good news but it quickly faded when his mind wandered to the man he had hit. That man's injuries were obviously far worse than his own. Guilt began flooding his mind.

_The accident was _my_ fault. Why did I have to be so careless? I should've been the one who was badly injured, not him._

"Mr. Jaeger? Are you all right?" Eren was dragged out of his thoughts and he glanced back up at the concerned doctor.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you Dr. Smith."

With that, the man smiled and exited the room, encouraging Mikasa to come with him since visiting hours were over. After a bit of a struggle, both the doctor and Mikasa were gone. Within a few minutes, Eren found himself growing tired again. He let his eyelids bat a few times before closing, but his rest was cut short by an obnoxiously loud holler from the main hallway.

_"Eren Yaeger? The guy who crashed into our comatose patient? Oooh! Where is he I wanna meet him! Which room is he in?" _

Eren sat up in his bed when he heard quick footsteps heading his direction.

"_Which room? This one?"_

The hollering was right outside his door, and the loud voice soon came with a face when Eren saw his door being flung open. In the frame stood a very tall woman who appeared to be a doctor based on her attire. Her brown hair was messily tied back into a ponytail and her animated expression was adorned with a pair of glasses.

"Eren Yaeger!"

Eren scooted back a bit, still not sure whether this woman was here to talk to him or to kill him.

"Y-Yes?"

"Is it true that you crashed your car into the car of a Mr. Levi Ackerman, resulting in his current comatose state?" She questioned excitedly, her face inching closer to Eren's. Said man looked away uncomfortably, scooting back a bit.

"Um… yeah. T-There was an accident." He peeked at the woman's nametag and read: _Dr. Hanji Zoe_. The enthusiastic woman sat down on the edge of Eren's bed and lifted up the chart that she had in her hand.

"An accident you say? And what would you say would be the cause for said accident? Were you intoxicated? Were you distracted? Did you see something interesting? Tell me Eren, tell me what you saw!"

Eren just gaped at her, at a loss for words. He stuttered a bit and sighed when the door opened and he saw Petra standing there, her arms crossed over her chest.

"_Hanji!_ Stop harassing our patients! We talked about this already!" She scolded, receiving a groan from the brunette haired woman in return. Said woman stood from her place on Eren's bed and strode toward the door, stopping at the frame.

"I will be back for more questioning!" She assured, grinning widely and practically skipping back down the hallway. Petra pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, glancing back up at the still slightly stunned patient.

"Sorry about her… she's one of our doctor's here. She is absolutely amazing at what she does, but some would say that her methods are a bit… eccentric, to say the least," the nurse stated.

"_Eccentric._ Yeah, sounds about right," He said with a chuckle. The nurse laughed and waved goodbye to the young man. "I'll let you get some rest now dear, I'll be back in a few hours to change your IV again." Eren smiled and leaned back onto the slightly uncomfortable hospital bed, sighing and shutting his eyes.

* * *

Eren awoke the next morning and let out a very unmanly shriek of terror. Staring back at him through slightly fogged glasses was Dr. Hanji Zoe, her face merely inches from Eren's.

"Good morning doll face!" She greeted a bit too loudly. Eren groaned a "good morning," and plopped back down onto his pillow.

"What am I doing here again? Ah yes! More questions!"

Eren sighed and shifted his gaze back to doctor. She whipped out her clipboard and retrieved the pen that was tucked behind her ear.

"If you are wondering why I am asking you so many questions, the answer is simple. Levi Ackerman is my patient, and in order to understand his condition one hundred percent, I must know as many details about the incident as possible! For the sake of medicine, for the sake of the patient, and most importantly, for the sake of science!" The doctor squealed and pressed the pen to the notepad on her clipboard, scooting closer to the tired young man.

"You're his doctor?"

"Indeed I am." Eren looked at the curious woman.

"So, do you think you can tell me what you know about him? After all, it is kind of my fault… so it would be nice to know how the guy is doing."

The doctor tapped the pen to her chin as if thinking about it and hummed quizzically.

"I'll answer all of your questions if you do-" Eren began to offer, but was cut off when Hanji's face lit up and she scooted her chair even closer to Eren, leaning into his personal space once again. She grinned and looked back, making sure nobody else was there.

"I will tell you _everything_ I know, for the sake of science of course!" She beamed. Her hands flipped through the clipboard on her lap and stopped at a certain page. She inhaled deeply and began describing the patient of Eren's curiosity.

_This woman is insane_ Eren thought to himself.

"Levi Ackerman. Age 31. Height 5 feet 2 inches. Weight 127 pounds. Hair color black. Eye color grey. No alive family members according to his records. Number of visitors zero-"

"Wait wait wait. No family? No visitors? So basically your saying that this guy is in a coma, and _nobody_ is going to be there when, or _if_, he wakes up?!"

Hanji nodded and sighed, shaking her head a bit.

"Unfortunately that is correct."

Eren's eyes fell to the floor, but they quickly returned to Hanji as soon as an idea came to mind. He didn't think that it was right. No one should have to go through what that man was going through alone.

"D-do you… do you think that _I_ would be allowed to visit him? I mean, I haven't seen him since the accident a few days ago and it would be nice to see how he's holding up," Eren suggested nervously, shrugging lightly. Once again, Hanji's face lit up and she darted out of the room, coming back in just as quickly as she had left, except this time, with a wheelchair. Eren examined the chair briefly and quirked his eyebrow, looking back at the grinning woman.

"That would be an excellent idea!" She said as she approached him and began removing his IV's. He cringed a little and sat up completely, stretching his sore back a bit. She wheeled the chair over to where he was on the bed as he swung his legs over the edge of the mattress.

"You know, my arm is broken, not my leg," He reminded Hanji, gesturing to the wheelchair in her grasp. She cackled, to Eren's surprise, and grabbed the brunette's hand.

"Yes, and you haven't stood up, let alone walked, in several days. You're joints are also very stiff from the trauma. Trust me, you're going to want the chair," Hanji said, easing Eren onto his feet and then onto the chair. He hissed a little at the unexpected tightness in his muscles and he sighed when he was seated.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

The doctor wheeled Eren out of his room, pushing him down the hall and stopping in front of the door right next to his. _He's right next door to me? _Hanji creaked the door open carefully, wheeling the brunette into the room. Eren could feel his stomach twist when he saw the man from the accident, when he saw Levi. He gave Hanji a knowing look and with that, she quietly left the room, leaving Eren alone with Levi. The brunette wheeled himself closer so that he was at the man's bedside. He had a tube connected to his mouth and several stitched up wounds on his face. Eren shakily raised his hand, placing it over the man's.

"I-I'm so sorry, Levi. I didn't mean to hurt you. I don't know you, and you don't know me, but I still feel terrible about what I've done. You don't deserve this, I do. I shouldn't have been so careless, so stupid. I'm so sorry." Eren let out a shaky breath and squeezed the man's hand, tears threatening to fall from his burning eyes.

_This poor man, he doesn't have anybody. That's so sad. _

Eren inhaled deeply and brushed the black bangs away from Levi's face, letting out a sigh. _Maybe I can be there for him. He deserves to have at least _one_ person there for him._

* * *

And so that's exactly what Eren did. For the next two weeks, he visited Levi every single day. Sometimes he would read to him, or just stop by to see how he was doing. Often times he found himself just sitting in Levi's room and talking to him as if he were awake. He would sometimes rant for hours to the comatose man, wondering what it would be like to have an actual conversation with the guy. After Eren's surgery on his arm, he was in bed for a few days, but he still managed to visit Levi's room everyday. It was becoming routine. While some of the nurses found Eren's behavior toward the man endearing, one nurse in particular was worried for the young brunette.

"Eren?"

Said man stopped walking, which he could now easily do since his limbs had loosened up a bit, and he turned to face Petra.

"Yes?"

Petra walked over to him with a look of concern on her face, something that didn't quite suit her usual sunny appearance. Eren cocked his head to the side a bit, noticing the woman's look of disdain.

"I think you should stop visiting Levi. I don't want you to get attached to him." The strawberry blonde woman had her eyes fixed on the ground. She wasn't saying this out of spite or anything of the sort. She was genuinely worried about that young man whom she had grown fond of. Petra considered Eren to be one of her friends, and she didn't want to see him get hurt if something were to happen to Levi.

"Petra what are you talking about?"

The nurse sighed grabbed Eren's arm, his good arm of course, and pulled him aside, out of the busy hallway full of hustling doctors. Eren stared at the nurse with a confused look.

"He is a comatose patient. You know that obviously. Which means you also know that there is a possibility that he won't wake up, _at all_. His brain activity is there, but it is very minimal. The chance the he will wake up is very slim and I don't want you to get attached to someone you may never actually get to meet."

Eren furrowed his brow and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Deep down he knew that what she was saying made sense. But his mind was telling him otherwise. He wanted to believe that he wasn't growing an attachment to this man, this man who he didn't even know, but he knew that wasn't true. He honestly was growing a bit too fond of his comatose 'friend.'

"Petra, please. I'm _not_ going to get attached to Levi. That's ridiculous. I'm just… being supportive is all."

The nurse shot him a look that said, '_That is bullshit and you know it_.' Eren just scoffed and turned his head, looking toward Levi's room. Was he really getting attached to somebody who he had never even talked to before? To a complete stranger?

"Just- Just let me be, okay?" He stammered, hastily shuffling back to Levi's hospital room. Over the past few weeks, Eren had found comfort in Levi's room. It was like his new safe place. Somewhere where he could relax and talk to someone who he was slowly starting to care for.

He entered the room and moved a chair next to Levi's bedside, sitting down with a loud sigh. Out of habit, he placed his hand on top of Levi's and intertwined their fingers. Something he started to do during every visit. The brunette looked at the older man's face and smiled tiredly. His wounds were healthy fairly quick, and Eren was growing fonder of Levi's face with each visit. It made him happy just to see that the man was healing getting better in some way.

"She doesn't know what she's talking about. I'm not getting attached to you Levi. I'm just here to support you. I mean, you don't have anybody else really, so I'm just being a good person." Even rambled, rubbing his thumb over his knuckles gently.

After about ten minutes like this, Eren rested his head against Levi's bed, growing a bit sleepy. The brunette yawned and squeezed Levi's hand gently. Eren's eyes shot open and he nearly flew out of his chair. That couldn't have been what he thought it was. _No way, that's... that's impossible._ Just to be sure, the now startled young man placed his hand over Levi's again, giving a firmer squeeze. His heart was beating fast in his chest and his eyes widened. That _was_ real. That was _definitely _real. Levi, he… he squeezed back.

"_Nurse! Doctor! I need _someone_ quickly!" _Eren yelled.

Hanji practically burst through the door, panting heavily from running.

"What is it!? What's going on Eren!?"

"It's Levi! He- He responded!"


	2. Awake

**Okay, so, a few things about this chapter: **

\- **I am not a doctor, so if I happen to say something that's incorrect when it comes to the medical terms and stuff, you don't have to tell me because I don't care**

\- **I already have the next chapter written, but I'm kind of stuck there, so if you guys have any suggestions for future chapters, let me know. I will happily read all of them**

\- **That's pretty much it… so enjoy**

* * *

Hanji rushed to Levi's side, pulling out a small flashlight type tool from her lab coat. She lifted his eyelid and shined the light in his eye, checking to see if he was responsive or not. Levi's brow twitched in discomfort and he flinched his head back a bit.

"Levi! Mr. Ackerman! _Can you hear me!?"_ Hanji shouted loudly. The barely responsive man grumbled quietly and furrowed his brow, tilting his head to the side.

"_Levi! Do you understand what I am saying!?_"

Hanji briefly removed Levi's oxygen mask once she confirmed that he was indeed breathing on his own. The man mumbled a bit louder, groaning a bit.

_"What was that?"_ The doctor yelled, leaning a bit closer to Levi.

"Fuck. Off." The man hissed hoarsely, most likely referring to Hanji's excessive screaming. Eren was still on Levi's other side, squeezing his hand tightly. The grin on the younger man's face was enormous. In his mind, this moment was absolutely surreal. Hanji squealed in excitement and snatched her clipboard from the small table next to Levi's bed. She began quickly jotting down notes and turned to face the door.

A few nurses flooded into the room, prying Eren away from the previously comatose patient and escorting him back to his own room.

"Sorry dear, we just need to run a few tests, but we promise you can visit Levi when we're done," Petra reassured while adjusting Eren's arm sling for him. Eren nodded and sighed, impatiently waiting on his bed.

* * *

The nurse reentered Eren's room a few hours later, hugging her clipboard to her chest like she usually did. She walked over to the patient's bed and nudged his shoulder gently.

"Eren you can see him now if you'd like. He's sleeping right now, but if you want to see how he's doing then feel free to go in."

Petra couldn't help her smile when she saw Eren practically pounce off his bed. He exited his room, anxiously making his way toward Levi's. When he entered the room, Levi's eyes were closed and his bed was positioned a bit more upright while one of the nurses was changing the bandages around his head.

"Hey kid, Levi still can't communicate properly, but you can still come in if you'd like," said the male nurse who was currently tending to the patient's wounds.

Eren bit his lip nervously and approached the bed, sitting down hesitantly. He reached and grabbed Levi's hand out of habit, giving it a small squeeze and grinning brightly when he felt a weak squeeze in return.

"Is he… Is he in pain?" The nurse looked at the patient, then over to Eren.

"Not at all. He can't feel a thing. He's on several different pain meds." The nurse gestured to the IV bag full of painkillers most likely.

Just as he said that, two weary grey eyes fluttered open, hazily wandering around the room until they landed on Eren's bright green eyes. Eren subconsciously gripped onto Levi's hand tighter, interlocking their fingers. Said patient groaned tiredly and the nurse sat up, inspecting Levi to see if he was breathing on his own or not. Once he confirmed that he was indeed breathing steadily by himself, he carefully removed the oxygen mask from his face. Levi released another groan, coughing several times and taking a deep breath. Eren looked down at their locked hands when he felt Levi gripping onto him a bit tighter.

The brunette stayed with him for a few more hours until his eyes grew heavy. He leaned down and rested his head in the space between Levi's neck and shoulder. Within minutes, he dozed off, his grip on Levi's hand never loosening. A few moments later, Petra slowly eased the door open, smiling at the sight of a passed out Eren against Levi. She pulled a blanket out from under the bed and walked over to the sleepy brunette. She draped the blanket over him and quietly left the room.

* * *

Eren slowly began to wake up, his eyes fluttering open. He felt a comforting warmth surrounding him and was a bit startled when the source of the heat began to shift beside him. Levi groaned tiredly and his eyes opening as well. His thoughts were muddled. He had absolutely no clue where he was or who the hell was huddled up so closely next to him. When he groaned, it was a bit painful. The brunette that was currently embracing him yawned and blinked a few times, remembering where exactly he was. Levi furrowed his brow in confusion and looked down at the young man.

"Who the hell are you?" He croaked, his voice dry and husky from being inactive for so long. Eren's cheeks heated up and he shot up from the bed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as one of the nurses walked in.

"Well, I-I'm Eren." The brunette was staring timidly at the floor.

"I see, so _you're_ Eren," Levi said, hissing when the nurse began to clean one of his wounds. "When I woke up a few days ago, I heard the nurses talking about some kid name _Eren_ who supposedly came in to visit me everyday. So, I'm gonna ask you one more time, who the hell are you?"

"Oh, well, I-I was the one who crashed into you actually," Eren admitted, a look of shame falling on his face. He couldn't bear to look at the man.

"So, it was you who decided to play a little game of bumper cars with me a couple weeks ago. Well, at least we're both alive." He chuckled briefly before shooting a death glare at the nurse who kept prodding at his face. The nurse just rolled her eyes and continued.

Eren looked up at Levi, astonished at how lax he was about the whole situation. Honestly, the brunette was expecting a fit of rage from the man, but he truly didn't seem to mind. Eren just gaped at the older man for a moment in attempt to figure out why the hell he wasn't screaming at him angrily.

"You can stop gawking at me like an idiot. Listen brat, the nurses said that you, for God knows what reason, took time each day to visit me to see how I was doing. You obviously must've picked up on the fact that I don't exactly have a friends or family. And-" Levi sighed deeply when he noticed the younger man's still frightened expression. "Eren, you don't have to look so fucking terrified, I'm not going to bite your head off for crashing into me. I get it. Shit happens. I'm willing to move on if you are."

Eren looked back up at Levi and walked over to him, having to stop himself from grabbing Levi's hand out of habit since he was actually awake now.

"Levi. I-I really appreciate that. I don't think you understand how much that means to me."

Levi could see and hear the sincerity in Eren's voice. He scoffed and sighed again, opening his arms. The brunette looked at the older man with a questioning expression.

"I do _not_ do emotional crap and I am _not_ a hugger, so don't expect this from me ever again, but you look like your about to burst into tears so come here," He said quite sternly. Eren didn't waste another moment before throwing his arms, or arm, around Levi and burying his face into the man's neck, sobbing softly against his hospital gown. Levi hissed a bit at the tightness of the young man's embrace pushing against his shattered ribs.

"I'm sorry Levi! I'm so sorry!" Eren cried against the man. Levi shivered lightly when felt the younger man's trembling breath against the nape of his neck. Usually he thought that expressive and weepy displays of affection were irritating, but he found Eren's emotional display rather endearing, and somewhat cute.

"Okay brat, I already said it was fine, calm down."

Hesitantly, Levi brought his arms around Eren and attempted to soothe him, running his fingers through the young man's messy hair and rubbing his back softly.

"Oi, my ribs might snap again if you squeeze me any tighter."

Eren let out a shaky breath and pulled back, his face flushing red. Levi sighed and rested his head against his pillow. He would never admit this, but he actually kind of enjoyed that. He couldn't even remember the last time somebody, let alone a stranger, had showed that level of care for him.

"S-Sorry Levi, I-I just… I don't know."

Levi snatched a couple of tissues from the table by his bed and handed them to Eren. The brunette wiped his tears and sighed, tossing the used tissues into the trashcan. Levi sat up more and furrowed his brow in discomfort as he attempted to stand up.

"All right brat, I gotta go in for a CT scan now, and quit apologizing, I don't give a shit about who hit who. It was accident, if you want to hear it so badly I'll say it. I forgive you," Levi said firmly as the nurse helped him into a wheelchair.

The older man was wheeled out of the room, and Eren left soon after with Hanji. The tall woman slung her arm around Eren and sighed, walking him back to his own room.

"Well isn't he just a big ol' ray of sunshine!"

Eren chuckled and laid back on his bed, said 'ray of sunshine' still on his mind.

"He wasn't that bad. I mean, I'm just glad he doesn't hate me. He actually seems like a good guy."

Hanji gave Eren an odd look. She adjusted her glasses on her nose and shuffled over to the younger man, examining his face closely. The doctor put her hand on Eren's face and leaned in, inspecting him thoroughly before pulling back and cackling boisterously. Eren just stared at her, cocking his head to the side.

_This woman… she's absolutely insane_ He thought for probably the thousandth time. Hanji tapped her finger to her chin inquisitively and began pacing the room. She stopped with her back turned to Eren, her hands firmly on her hips.

"You visit him everyday although you don't know him, you're cheeks flush whenever he speaks, you get nervous when you're near him. Doll face you have feelings for our fun-sized friend!"

Eren nearly choked when the doctor uttered those words.

"What?!"

"You _like_ Levi!" The woman was practically giddy as she bounced up and down with excitement. Eren furrowed his brow and stammered.

"What the hell are you even saying? I don't even know the guy! I'm just- I don't-! Damn it Hanji I don't like him like that!" Eren groaned and buried his face in his hands, running his fingers through his overgrown hair. He hadn't gotten a haircut since his stay at the hospital.

"You're being rather defensive now aren't you?" She pointed an accusatory finger at Eren and gave him a Chesire grin, giggling uncontrollably. Eren sighed in relief when Petra marched in and seized Hanji's wrist, saving him from further pestering and questioning.

"I'm not going to say it again Hanji. Stop. Harassing. Our. Patients!"

The shorter woman dragged the doctor out of the room, leaving Eren alone with his thoughts. He fell back on his bed and laughed to himself at Hanji's words. I mean, that's absolutely absurd. Eren couldn't deny that Levi was awfully attractive, even with all of the cuts and scrapes. But in no way did that mean he had _feelings_ for the guy. He didn't even know anything about him.

Petra walked back into Eren's room, sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Again, sorry about her. She's always making crazy assumptions about people," She apologized, shaking her head a bit. Eren bit his lip nervously and fiddled around with the strap of his sling to avoid talking about said 'assumptions.' Petra stared at the younger man for a moment, taking note of his nervous disposition.

"N-No it's fine," he muttered quietly.

"Well, do you?"

Eren looked at Petra and quirked an eyebrow in confusion.

"Do I what?"

She blushed a little and her eyes fell to the floor. The short nurse shifted her weight from foot to foot, obviously a little bit uncomfortable with the situation.

"Do you have feelings for Mr. Ackerman?"

Eren sat up a bit more, glaring at the nurse. He winced a bit, his arm throbbing with a dull ache.

"I'm not going to say this again Petra. I don't have _feelings_ for the guy. I don't know why everyone keeps-"

Before Eren could finish defending himself to Petra, the male nurse from earlier that day peeked his head into the room. Petra saw the man and looked past the door, nodding and moving aside a bit.

"Mr. Jaeger you have a visitor," The other nurse said, opening the door wider to reveal a shorter blonde man standing with him.

"Armin!"

Eren grinned got up out of his bed, walking over to his friend and using his good arm to pull him into a tight hug. Armin chuckled and returned Eren's embrace, relieved to see that his best friend was doing okay. He had been busy the entire week with school, so he felt awful that he couldn't find the time to visit until now. But the brunette didn't seem to mind, he was just glad to see him.

"It's so good to see you finally. So, how's your arm?" He asked, gesturing to the sling. Eren looked at the broken limb and shrugged, sitting back on the edge of his bed.

"It's fine. It still hurts a little, but yeah, it's fine." Armin nodded and sat down next to Eren, sighing contently. He had really missed his best friend.

"Oh, Armin, this is Petra, she's been my nurse for the past few weeks."

Said nurse smiled and waved to the blonde, moving over to Eren so that she could adjust his sling.

"Eren, stop screwing around with the strap of this thing, it has to be elevated."

Armin laughed as Petra tightened the strap and the brunette groaned, rolling his eyes. The blonde was glad that Eren had made friends while he was here. The last thing he wanted was for him to be lonely.

"Yeah but when it's elevated it's uncomfortable," Eren complained, making a discontent expression when the nurse finished readjusting the sling. She sighed and shook her head, a hint of a smile on her face.

"Quit complaining, you'll get your cast off soon."

The two of them bickered a bit more before Petra left the room, leaving Eren alone with Armin. They then spent a few hours catching up with one another. Eren had missed this. Just spending time with Armin and talking about random things. These times were very few though. Armin was in medical school, which means that he was always studying and going to classes. It took Eren and Mikasa a while to adjust to not having their best friend around one hundred percent of the time.

After awhile, Armin very reluctantly had to leave, his flight back to Shiganshina was leaving soon and he had an important exam the next morning. The two of them said their goodbyes and Armin was gone, leaving Eren alone once more.

The brunette was extremely tempted to visit Levi again. Not because he wanted to see him or anything. He just wanted to know that results of the CT scan, that's all. Eren groaned and sat back up, slipping out of his bed and moving to the door, hesitantly wavering there for a moment before deciding to visit Levi.

* * *

"Oh, you again." The older man mumbled, cursing under his breath when Petra taped his IV down. He looked at Eren and couldn't help but smile briefly at the sight of the anxious young man. He would never admit this, _ever_, but he thought it was kind of cute how nervous Eren seemed to get around him.

"Y-Yeah. I just wanted to see how you were doing I guess..." Eren shuffled timidly over to Levi's bedside, receiving a friendly smile from the short blonde who was currently changing Levi's bandages. Levi sighed and closed his eyes, wincing as Petra cleaned his stitches. She shook her head and continued.

"Eren, would you mind grabbing a few small bandages from that cupboard over there by the sink for me?" The nurse asked. Eren nodded and did as he was told, retrieving several small gauze and bandages. She hummed a thank you and re-bandaged Levi's cleaned wounds, to which he continued to curse quietly and grimace.

"Why?" He asked suddenly.

"Why what?"

"Why do you want to see how I'm doing? Why should you care?"

Eren blinked a few times, really contemplating the question. Because honestly, he didn't know the answer himself.

"Well I-I sort of feel partly responsible for what happened I guess, so I wanted to make sure that you were doing well. I just- I don't know"

He bit his lip nervously and looked at the tile floor. Levi sighed once again when he saw the younger man's worried expression.

"Look Eren, I already told you that I forgive you, so why are you still so fucking scared around me? Like I said, I'm not gonna bite your head off or anything like that. You seem like an okay kid and yeah, you fucked up, but we all fuck up at least once in our lives so just relax. You're alive. I'm alive. Let's just leave it at that." He broke his gaze from Eren and shot a scowl in Petra's direction when she pressed a bit too hard on one his stitches. Eren couldn't figure out how to respond, and Levi could tell that he was obviously at a loss for words.

"Have lunch with me."

Eren looked at Levi with a puzzled expression.

"Excuse me?"

"You're the one who wanted to know how I'm doing, so I'll tell you, just eat lunch here with me."

Levi was the type of person who spoke his mind, and Eren wasn't saying anything, so that's exactly what he did. Eren mentally scolded himself for blushing and sat down in one of the room's chairs.

"O-Okay"

Petra gave Eren a knowing look and exited the room to retrieve both of their meals. Levi looked at the brunette and watched as the younger man screwed around with the strap of his arm sling.

"So, brat, how's that busted arm?"

Eren paused and sighed, remembering what Petra had said to him about the strap and knowing that she would most likely yell at him for messing with it.

"It's pretty broken. They said when they brought me in, my bone was actually sticking out of my skin." Eren shivered slightly at the thought, rubbing his cast gently through the sling.

"So is there anything else wrong with you?"

"I had a mild concussion and a few bruised ribs, but that's about it."

"That's good then." Levi just nodded and leaned back against his pillow, shifting his gaze toward the nurse who had just reentered the room with two trays of hospital food. Petra smiled at Eren and silently brought the two of them their food. She nodded at the brunette and left the room again, shutting the door behind her.

"So, you still in school? You look pretty young." Levi asked, picking up his fork and grimacing at the less than appealing meal.

"Heh, I'm twenty-three. I just graduated from Shiganshina Community College a few months ago. I've had a few job interviews over the past couple of weeks. Actually, I was on my way back from an interview right before the accident," Eren said, taking a bite out of the over-seasoned chicken. The older man nodded and poked at the fluorescent green jello on his tray.

"Good for you then. You're actually trying to make something of your life. Hell, when I was twenty-three I was shoplifting and mugging people on the street to get by. I'm one of the idiots who chose to drop out of high school and try living on my own." Eren stared at Levi, who seemed completely unfazed by revealing such a personal fact about himself to a practical stranger.

"Thank you, I think..."

Levi chuckled quietly and set his uneaten meal on the small table by his bed, eyeing the nervous young man across the room.

"You have any family?"

"Y-Yeah. I have an older sister. My mom passed away two summers ago. She was on the bus and the driver lost control and crashed, killing her and four other people. My dad left Mikasa and I after she died. We tried to track him down, but he left without a trail." Eren's eyes threatened to water when he brought up his mom. He hadn't talked about the incident in more than a year. He wouldn't even talk about it with Mikasa, but for some reason he felt like he could be open with Levi.

"I guess I can somewhat relate. Deadbeat dad. My mom overdosed on painkillers. But the difference is that I hated both of them. You obviously cared for your mom deeply, so, I'm sorry," Levi said, feeling a tinge of sympathy when he noticed the brunette trying to hold in his tears.

"I-It's okay. It's n-not like it's your fault or a-anything."

"You know, you're allowed to cry, right?"

Eren shuddered a sigh and gave in, letting the tears flow from his emerald eyes. He sobbed into his hands and took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure. He had already cried in front of the older man, so he couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed.

"S-sorry," Eren mumbled, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. Levi rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through his black hair.

"I told you brat, quit apologizing for shit. Especially shit that you didn't even cause."

"That's not true. I caused the accident. _That_ was my fault!" Eren argued.

"No you didn't. I was just as responsible as you were. I was distracted that night and I wasn't paying full attention to the road. So shut the hell up and stop saying sorry."

Eren had to stop himself from saying 'I'm sorry' again as stood up and hesitantly walked toward Levi, his eyelashes still coated with tears.

"Um. C-can I uh, can I maybe like..." Levi picked up what Eren was asking for and he sighed, opening his arms again. The brunette wrapped his good arm around the older man and made sure not to squeeze to tightly again because of his broken ribs. Levi tentatively closed his arms around Eren and rested his chin on the brunette's shoulder, letting the young man cry on him for the second time.

"It's all right, let it out," Levi muttered into Eren's ear, gently running his fingers through the younger man's hair. He honestly didn't really know how to comfort people. It's not exactly something he did very often.

Eren sighed and took a deep breath, very reluctantly pulling away from Levi.

"T-Thanks. I really needed that," the brunette admitted, a light blush on his cheeks. Levi laid back against his pillow, closing his eyes and nodding.

"Don't expect me to let you do that again. I'm not a 'hugger.'"

"Isn't that what you said last time too?" Eren teased, chuckling a bit.

"Yeah yeah yeah very funny brat."

Levi couldn't help the small grin that fell on his lips as the younger man left his room. The older man honestly was _not_ a hugger, but when it came to this brat, he couldn't say no. He felt like he needed to protect and comfort him. This feeling was strange, completely new to Levi, and he was struggling to figure out what the hell it was exactly. It wasn't bad, no, if anything, it was exciting.

Levi opened his eyes and sat up, a bit panicked. His vision was completely blurred and his body was growing numb. All of the sudden, a whole other kind of feeling overcame Levi, but it wasn't confusing or exciting, it was completely and utterly terrifying. His entire frame quivered and trembled with an intense chill and his thoughts turned completely black, his eyes rolling back into his skull.

Eren stopped mid-step when he heard a fast-paced beeping noise emitting from Levi's room. He turned his head when he saw a cluster of three or four nurses bustle hastily into the room. Eren was stunned momentarily when he felt himself being shoved out of the way. Hanji had darted past him and into room where he had just been. What was going on? The brunette collected his thoughts and quickly stumbled to the door, halting at the frame. His eyes widened and his heart sank. Levi was jerking and jolting violently, his entire frame convulsing in intense tremors.

"_Damn it he's seizing! We need to get him on Valproate, now!"_

Eren had never seen Hanji so focused and serious, it was terrifying. She shot him a stern yet panicked look and then her eyes darted over to Petra.

"Ral. Get him out of here, _now_!" She ordered, the frightened blonde immediately scurrying to Eren and dragging him out of the room. The younger man felt dizzy and nauseous. He sank to the floor and Petra kneeled beside him, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"_We're losing him! Get a crash cart, now goddammit!" _

Eren hugged his knees and tears began to flow from his eyes for what felt like the thousandth time today. The memories of his mother that he tried so desperately to forget began flooding back into his mind. This was all too familiar.

_"Charge to three-hundred, clear!"_

The brunette slammed his hands over his ears and buried his face between his knees, shakily sobbing. His heart pounded rapidly. He couldn't breath.

"Make it stop! Make it stop!" He cried out loudly, rocking back and forth. It wouldn't stop. It was happening all over again.


	3. Trauma

**I know I haven't updated in a few months... Je suis désolé! Gah! I just was super busy and I was not feeling very inspired recently. But classes are over and I am ready to update like crazy :D**

**Enjoy ^_^!**

* * *

_"Son, we're so sorry. Her heart could not tolerate the excessive bleeding. Your mother did not survive the surgery."_

_Mikasa's hands trembled and she wept softly, turning toward her brother. Eren's look of shock abruptly turned into one of rage. He clenched his teeth tightly together and his heart sank. This wasn't happening. It wasn't real. He would go back home and Mom and Dad and Armin and Mikasa….. They'd all be there, safe and sound, just like always. _

_The doctor placed a hand on the boy's shoulder in attempt to comfort him._

_"Again, I'm very sor-"_

_"NO!" Eren screamed and slapped the man's arm away. He slammed his hands over his ears and yelled loudly, choking on his sobs. _

_"SHUT UP! YOU'RE ALL LIARS! SHE ISN'T DEAD!" Eren screeched, shoving Mikasa when she attempted to calm him down. He couldn't breathe. All of the air had escaped from his lungs. His heart slammed against his ribcage and sweat coated his body. His vision was blurring fast. This wasn't real… This is just a nightmare… It couldn't be real…_

* * *

"-ren, Eren… Eren dear, can you hear me?" At the sound of the familiar voice, the brunette's eyes flickered open. His head hurt tremendously, and there were several faces staring at him.

"You had a panic attack and blacked out. You've been out cold for almost thirteen hours now." He turned his head and looked at Mikasa, who had a practically bone crushing grip on his good hand and a concerned look on her face.

"Le-vi," he muttered tiredly. Petra appeared on Eren's left side and sat down on the edge of his bed. She turned to Hanji, who soon left, along with the other two nurses in the room. Mikasa, unsurprisingly, remained firmly in her place next to Eren. Petra sighed and looked at the brunette, setting her clipboard on the small bedside desk.

"There was an undetected bleed in Levi's brain that triggered a post-traumatic seizure. The seizing caused his heart to momentarily stop, but like I said a while back, Dr. Hanji is amazing at her job and her team is phenomenal. They restarted his heart, but there is one thing still. While some patients recover completely from these sorts of traumas, possible complications include stroke, loss of brain function, or side effects from medications or treatments. But don't worry dear, we are doing our very best to help Mr. Ackerman recover."

Eren nodded numbly and gazed forward, seeing another doctor enter the room. He was fairly young with short brown hair and light freckles on his cheeks that added to his already youthful appearance.

The young man smiled at the three of them and approached Petra's side. Eren felt a bit uneasy around the stranger, but that uneasiness soon left him once the doctor's eyes met his own.

The man had comforting eyes, the kind of eyes that emitted a feeling of honesty and trust.

Eren had the ability to spot people who had these eyes. His mother had them. He still remembers her hazel orbs that radiated a certain warmth and security. He only saw that same look in certain people. Although he usually only saw it in the ones he had known his whole life, like Mikasa or Armin, there were several people in which he could spot it immediately, like Petra, this doctor, and as unlikely as it seems, he briefly caught that same kind look from Levi. It had happened as he was pulling away from their second embrace. Their eyes had met for a split second, and Eren's heart jumped. Through that icy grey glare, a warm and loving gaze had broken through and reached out to him.

Eren was pulled from his thoughts when the young doctor pulled up a chair next to the nurse, and she began to introduce him as if on queue.

"Eren, this is Dr. Bodt. He is one of our hospital's psychiatric residents. When he caught wind of your panic attack, he wanted to have a short session with you. Would that be all right?"

Eren once again nodded numbly and watched as the nurse left the room, stopping to look at Mikasa, a sweet smile still planted firmly on the nurse's lips.

"If you don't mind, I think that the doctor would prefer to speak with Eren _alone_."

Mikasa shot her a harsh glare, to which Eren sighed and wrenched his hand from his sister's iron grip.

"Mikasa I'll be fine."

She furrowed her brow and stood up, trudging hesitantly toward the nurse with a scowl on her face. Petra's expression still held its usual friendly beam as she escorted the raven-haired girl toward the waiting room, shutting Eren's door on the way out.

"Hello Eren. I'm Dr. Bodt, but please just call me Marco. 'Dr. Bodt' makes me feel old," the doctor greeted, extending a welcoming arm out to the brunette. Eren scooted up a bit so that he was sitting more upright and he shook the other man's hand.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, how old are you exactly? I mean you're a doctor, but you look like you could be _my_ age."

Marco chuckled lightly and rubbed the back of his neck, shrugging a bit.

"Actually, we're probably not too far apart in age. I'm twenty-five. I'm still in residency training so technically I'm not licensed yet. But I had to practically beg my attendant to let me assist him on your case."

_My case?_ Eren thought.

"What do you mean my _case?_"

"Oh, well, since you had been diagnosed as having a PTSD panic attack, that automatically puts you down in our records within the psych ward. But don't worry, I'm not here to badger you and call you crazy or anything like that. I'm just here to talk, that's all, I promise."

Eren slowly nodded his head and sighed, remembering that PTSD was posttraumatic stress disorder. When he thought about it, it made perfect sense. He certainly had been through trauma to say the least.

"So, Eren, in order for me to understand your PTSD, I'm going to have to understand the T part of it, meaning your trauma. I'm not asking you to relive whatever your trauma may be. But I am going to ask you a series of questions so that I can _understand _it, so I can understand you."

Once again, Eren bobbed his head up and down, his anxiety going down a bit when Marco reassured him that he wouldn't force him to talk. Said doctor crossed his legs and rested his clipboard on his knee, tapping his pen against the paper.

"Was that girl your sister? She was kinda scary."

Eren chuckled and looked at the doctor, who also was laughing a bit.

"Yeah, that was Mikasa. My family adopted her when she was about four years old. I was only two at the time so I don't really remember a time before Mikasa was in my life. Me, her, and our best friend Armin grew up together. They're my family." Eren rambled on about Armin and Mikasa for about twenty more minutes.

Marco then brought up the car accident, which is what he had assumed to be the trauma, but he was slightly baffled when the young man explained the details of the incident without any signs of serious struggle.

Eren talked about how he had met Petra and that she had shown him great kindness during his recovery. He also mentioned Hanji, and how she was kind too, just a tad insane. When he was done going on about the friends he had made during his stay at the hospital, he began discussing Levi with the doctor.

Marco could hear the joy and admiration in Eren's voice when he told him about how he had visited Levi daily. The young man expressed how thrilled he was when Levi had finally awoken from his coma. But, the Marco also heard the hurt and pain in the brunette's voice when he got to discussing the man's current state. It was fairly obvious that Eren truly cared for Levi, and it didn't take a medical degree to figure that one out.

"Eren, we've been talking for nearly an hour now, and I've just got just a couple more questions for you."

"Sure, what it is?" Eren asked enthusiastically. He had always pictured therapy sessions to be dull and invading, but he discovered that having somebody there who was willing to listen to him ramble on about whatever, and actually listen, was quite refreshing.

"I don't know if I already asked you this, but what about your parents? You told me about Mikasa and Armin, but you haven't mentioned your folks yet." Marco immediately noted the drop in Eren's previously content expression. The brunette's eyes widened a bit and he had a glazed look. He trembled slightly and clenched his jaw, his brow twitching.

"Eren?"

"Please leave…" He said in barely a whisper.

Marco knew he had hit the nail on the head. _So it wasn't the car accident. It was something that happened in his past._

"Eren you can talk to me you kno-"

"Get out. Please, just- just go," Eren interrupted, fisting the sheets in his hand and squeezing his eyes shut. Without another word, Marco hugged the clipboard full of notes to his chest and exited the room, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

The next day, Marco returned to Eren's room. He sat down in the same chair as the day before and gave Eren a friendly smile, retrieving a pen from the pocket of his lab coat. He sighed and looked at the young man.

"We don't have to talk about it until your ready. Until then, hm, let's see… how about you tell me about your arm. I didn't get the details about what happened."

Eren just stared at Marco, giving him a look of appreciation for not forcing the previous topic onto him. With that, the brunette just rambled on about how his arm was shattered in two places and how the sling on his arm was driving him nuts. Marco listened intently and patiently, determined to find out what Eren had been through in his past that was still obviously hurting him.

* * *

"Your arm and ribs seem to be healing quite nicely, there is no sign of damage from the concussion, your vitals have been stable for a quite awhile, and Dr. Bodt says that the two of you are making progress. Based on these facts, it seems that you will be discharged tomorrow. Congratulations young man, you get to go home."

Dr. Erwin looked away from his chart and over to Eren, who didn't look as excited as he should've been in this situation. Honestly, he was having fun there with Petra, Hanji, and Marco. Also, the idea of not being able to visit Levi everyday saddened him. He would truly miss having him right next door. Although Levi was still unconscious, Eren felt a bit uneasy about leaving him. What if he were to wake up? What if something bad were to happen to Levi? Eren wasn't family so they wouldn't call him if something like that were to happen.

"Dear, don't worry, you're scheduled to have two sessions with Dr. Bodt every week, so you'll get to see Levi then."

Eren, a bit startled, looked toward the door and saw Petra standing there.

_Jesus, what is she, a damn mind reader?_ He thought. The brunette blushed a bit and toyed around with the strap on his sling. Petra hustled over to Eren and slapped his hand away in a scolding manner.

"I'm not going to tell you again. Stop messing with the damn sling!"

Eren bit back a smile at the woman's anger. The angry look on her face didn't suit her at all, so it was more amusing than anything. She rolled her eyes and her sunny expression returned when Eren's hand fell to his side.

"Okay okay I'll leave it alone."

The other man in the room smiled lightly at the two and made his way toward the door. He stopped and turned to look at Eren.

"Anyway, I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed your time here with us despite the circumstances. I'll have Hanji retrieve your discharge papers first thing tomorrow." Erwin said before leaving the room.

Petra studied the young man next to her and saw the obvious anxiousness in Eren's face. She knew exactly the reason for his restless appearance and she wanted to help out her friend. The nurse sighed and shuffled out of the room quickly. She walked over to Levi's room and was surprised to see a total of four nurses and three doctors in the room, surrounding Levi. Petra couldn't see what was going on, so when she spotted Hanji amidst the small crowd, she pulled her aside.

"What's going on in here? Did something happen?" The nurse asked.

"Oh! Petra darling! Just the woman I wanted to see. It's Levi, he appears to be waking up. We're all here to see whether the bleed has affected his brain negatively or not. There are too many people in here though, hold on." Hanji explained briefly.

"_Everybody except for nurse Petra and I, get out!"_ The doctor hollered, her booming voice sending the other doctors and nurses fleeing from the room like frightened rats. Hanji smiled proudly to herself and quickly moved to the patient.

His eyes were open and he was groaning a bit. Like she did the first time, Hanji confirmed that Levi was once again breathing on his own, and she removed the oxygen mask.

"E-ren," He muttered hoarsely before closing his eyes again. Petra gaped at the man and then looked over to Hanji, who looked like she was about to burst with excitement.

"Did he just say-?" Petra began to ask before Hanji interrupted her. The taller woman gripped the nurse's shoulders.

"Eren! Yes Petra darling! He said _Eren!_ Oh! Speaking of Eren, we need to get him in here, now." Hanji said, walking toward the door. Petra remembered something and stopped the woman. She pulled out a yellow discharge slip with Erwin's signature on it.

"Can you take this to the main office and get Eren's papers printed? He's being discharged tomorrow," the nurse asked, receiving a gasp from Hanji in return. The doctor snatched the slip and read over it very carefully.

"Our Eren is _leaving_!?"

Petra nodded and didn't have time to say another word before Hanji stormed out of Levi's room and stumbled into Eren's, practically running to his bedside. Before Eren could even react, Hanji was bawling and squeezing the life out of him with her overpowering hug.

"I'm going to miss you so much! It will be so _boring_ without you here!" She cried, Eren just awkwardly patting her back in response.

_I guess she found out I'm leaving then… _He thought as the woman pulled back, readjusting her glasses and wiping her eyes. She looked down at Eren and extended her arm out, her voice now completely calm.

"Come with me."

Eren furrowed his brow in puzzlement before reluctantly taking the doctor's hand. She practically pulled him out of bed and dragged him out of his room. Her face became serious and she turned to the confused young man.

"Since you are leaving, I am going to break a rule for you as your going away gift."

Hanji stopped in front of Levi's door, and Eren finally processed what she had meant. She was going to let her see Levi before he left. Hanji pushed the door open and Eren's heart began to race.

"He woke up a few minutes ago." Petra said from across the room, watching as Eren sat down next to Levi and automatically slipped his hand into the other man's. The brunette was startled when he felt an immediate response from Levi. The other man's hand tightened around his own, and he felt a well of emotions stirring inside of him as he squeezed back. Both Petra and Hanji watched the scene play out as if it was a movie. Levi groaned again and shifted some, his grip on the brunette's hand never loosening.

His eyes fluttered open once again. Levi couldn't see anything but bright lights and some darker shapes. He heard voices, but he couldn't quite make out what they were saying. Levi rolled his head tiredly to the side and tried to focus his vision on the larger shape beside him. He blinked a few times as his senses began returning to him. The first thing he felt was his hand being held by another, it was familiar, comforting. The next thing he realized is that his head was pounding, to which he let out another groan.

"_Levi? Levi? Levi can you hear me? I-It's Eren. Do you remember?"_

That voice.

"_Levi it's me, Eren. Eren Jaeger. Do you remember me?"_

He knew that voice. Despite his headache, that voice sounded so sweet in his ears. In that moment, Levi couldn't even comprehend his _own_ name. He was too captivated by the name of the person who was speaking to him. He blinked several times, trying to focus his vision. It was helping a little. Levi could now make out the shape of a person, and he tiredly lifted his other arm, pressing his hand softly against the side of the person's cheek. He felt something wet on his finger so he rubbed his thumb along the skin, wiping away the tears that had begun to fall.

Levi closed his eyes for a moment and let the sound of that sweet voice fill his hazy mind.

"_L-Levi. I-It's Eren. I'm here."_

This time, he could hear what the wonderful voice was saying and he opened his eyes again. _Eren. Eren. I…I remember you, Eren…_

"E…Er…Er-en," Levi managed to say, his voice quiet and strained. His arm was growing tired so he set it back on the bed, resting his hand on top of Eren's, which was already intertwined with his other hand. He just rested there for a moment, both of his hands encasing Eren's hand. Levi didn't want to let go. He couldn't let go.

"_I'm here Levi, I'm here."_

* * *

Hanji pulled out her cell phone and opened the camera, pointing it at the sight before her. Eren had once again fallen asleep in the chair holding onto Levi's hand, and the doctor couldn't resist getting a quick photo. She tucked the discharge papers that she had just printed under her arm and focused the camera, snapping a picture of the two men cuddled up together. She cursed under her breath when the flash went off and Eren began to stir.

The sleepy young man just groaned tiredly and buried his face closer to the warmth next to him. Sometime during their slumber, Levi's arm wrapped itself around Eren's shoulder, his other hand still interlocked with the boy's. He squinted his eyes open, his vision still blurry, and he felt a warm heat pressed up against him. Confused, Levi began recalling things in his head, memories beginning to flood back in.

_Where am I? I'm in a hospital. _

_Why? There was a car accident. _

_What happened? I was in a coma, and then I woke up. Then… I'm not sure, and… who the hell is this?_

Levi felt a small squeeze to his hand and he squeezed back, as if on instinct.

_Oh, that's right, Eren. The brat who crashed his car into mine, and who has somehow managed to crawl into my life and confuse the shit out of me. Eren fucking Jaeger._

The older man sighed and closed his eyes, lazily running his fingers through the younger man's hair. He thought it was a bit gross that their locked hands had gotten rather sweaty during the night, but that thought quickly left his mind, and he went back to enjoying himself, indulging in the warm feeling that Eren was sharing with him.

"I know you two lovebirds are probably really comfortable right now, but Levi, we gotta take you in for another CT scan in a few minutes."

Levi furrowed his brow and groaned tiredly, unconsciously burying himself deeper against the heat that was Eren. Petra rolled her eyes and couldn't help but smile at the two sleeping men, trudging over to Levi's bedside. Hanji rolled a wheelchair into the room, moving across the room to sit on the edge of the bed. She sighed and leaned in closer to Levi.

"You can cuddle with doll face all you want after you get the scan. So wake up my short little ray of sunshine!" Hanji beamed, receiving another groan in response. Levi opened his eyes and glared at the two women, blinking blankly a few times before looking down at Eren.

"Don't wake him up, just put him in my bed until I get back," Levi croaked, wincing a bit at the roughness of his voice. Without another word Petra walked over and sat Levi up, carefully prying Eren off of him as she helped the other man into the chair. Once Levi was seated, Hanji shuffled to the other side of the bed, picking up Eren bridal style and laying him on the mattress gently as if he weighed as much as a feather. Petra left the room with Levi, pushing him down the hall and toward the scan room.

After the scan was over, Petra began heading back to the room with Levi. Suddenly, Levi gave the nurse a confused look when she pushed him into the supply closet and shut the door. She walked in front of Levi and placed both hands on the armrests of the chair, leaning close to him.

"Before we go back, there are a few things I want to discuss with you, Levi."

"What the hell is this all about?" He asked hoarsely, crossing his arms over his chest.

"This is about Eren. I would consider him to be one of my dear friends, and I don't want to see him get hurt. He's been hurt too many times before. You need to understand that Eren is young and naïve. He's a fragile young man whose emotions are very unstable."

"And what does this have to do with me exactly?"

Petra's stare hardened and she leaned just a little bit closer. Levi wasn't scared of anything, but the look in Petra's eyes was absolutely terrifying. Who knew such a mild-mannered and sweet woman could be so damn intimidating.

"Everything. This has everything to do with you. Eren cares for you deeply. You mean more to him than you will ever know. Why? I don't have a damn clue, but he does. So if you know that you won't be able to reciprocate those feelings, then please, don't give him any false hopes. I wouldn't be able to handle Eren getting hurt like that."

Levi looked the woman dead in the eye and furrowed his brow.

"Listen blondie. We both know that I'm not the nicest guy. I don't run around splaying my emotions for the whole damn world to see. But if you _must_ know. I care about Eren too"

Levi scowled at the floor, kind of embarrassed that he had just been practically forced into confessing any feelings he had for Eren to Petra.

"A lot more than I probably should actually," He mumbled to himself.

Petra's expression softened significantly and she stood straight again, opening the door and pushing Levi back out into the hall.

"That's all I needed to hear," She said softly as the two of them made their way to Levi's room.

* * *

"Why is this guy sleeping in Mr. Ackerman's room?"

"How should I know? I just wanted to go the cafeteria!"

"Damn it can you stop thinking about food for like three seconds?! You already got me in trouble once when you were caught stealing from the resident's lunches and I covered your ass!"

"I'm sorry! But I'm _starving!__"_

Eren slowly began waking up from his sleep and his eyes focused on the two strangers arguing and hovering over him.

"Excuse me, but um, who are you guys?"

The two very young doctors turned their heads to face Eren.

"Oh! Hey, I'm Con- I mean Dr. Springer! This is Sasha… or uh… Dr. Blouse."

Eren eyed the two of them and asked, "Oh, okay. Are you guys new or something? I haven't seen you around the hospital before."

Connie walked over to the bedside and tucked his clipboard under his arm so he could rest his hands in his coat pockets.

"Yeah. Kinda. We're interns. Which means we both just finished school and now this is basically like training. The residents in this hospital are the ones who teach and supervise us… by the way, why are you sleeping in Mr. Ackerman's room?"

Eren suddenly looked around at his surroundings and sat up all the way, remembering that he had indeed fallen asleep in Levi's bed… right next to Levi… holding his hand and… _cuddling _with him.

_Oh my god he's not here. That means he saw me being all snuggly with him when he woke up!_ Eren thought, slightly panicked. He felt his whole face burn red with embarrassment as he eased out of the man's bed, straightening his shirt and readjusting his cast.

"O-Oh sorry. I was um, I just fell asleep here I guess."

Before the two interns could as any more questions, Eren kept his head down as he quickly shuffled out of the room. His steps were halted when he nearly crashed into someone.

"Sorry! I didn't see- Levi!?"

Petra was standing in front of Eren, pushing Levi who was currently in a wheelchair. The nurse sighed breathlessly and groaned.

"Jesus Eren watch where you're going!"

Levi looked up at the brunette, a hint of a smirk on his lips. Eren's face was bright red and he was still trying to comprehend everything.

"Look at that. You almost crashed into me. That's twice in less than month," he teased, finding the mortified expression on the brat's face rather amusing.

"L-Levi, I-I'm so sorry! I didn't see you I swear! I didn't mean it!"

Levi's smirk quickly fell when he realized that Eren was still apologizing about the accident. A pang of guilt rang through him and he gently reached out and grabbed Eren's hand.

"Hey. Eren. I was only teasing you. I'm not upset. You have to stop apologizing for everything. You've done nothing wrong. Understand me?"

The younger man immediately closed his fingers around Levi's hand and nodded, taking a deep breath. Levi soothingly started rubbing his thumb over Eren's knuckles in a comforting manner.

"As much as I'd hate to interrupt the 'moment,' we _are _standing in the middle of a rather busy hallway, so you two might want to continue this display in Levi's room."

Once he had heard Petra's voice, Eren suddenly became very aware of his surroundings.

"Wha-? W-We weren't having a moment Petra! I mean we were just-!"

"Whatever you say kid, but we _do _need to move regardless," she chuckled, starting to push Levi back toward his room.

Eren loosened his grip on the man's hand only to have him tighten it. Petra slowed for a moment.

"Oi, brat, walk back with me," Levi said, tugging Eren in his direction. The younger man looked down at their partially interlocked hands before squeezing back and beginning to walk with Petra and Levi.

* * *

Once they had gotten back to the room and by the bed, Levi pulled his hand from Eren's grip and placed it on his shoulder.

"Help me up."

The brunette nodded and wrapped his arm around Levi's waist since he only had one functioning arm. Once he had helped the man up onto his feet, his grip slipped a bit, which caused Levi to fall forward against Eren's chest. Eren's already visible blush darkened when the man clutched onto his shirt, and his own hand tightened around Levi's waist. Petra, who had been on the verge of asking them if they needed any help, chose to keep to herself and wait outside the room.

Levi shifted so that both of his arms were wrapped around Eren's neck. The sensation of Levi's breath ghosting over his pulse point sent chills down Eren's body. Soft lips gently brushed against the taller man's ear as one of Levi's hands tangled in the brunette's overgrown hair.

"Eren…" He murmured quietly, inhaling sharply.

Eren's bright green eyes were wide open and his heart was hammering, his entire body had gone stiff. His hand tightened in its place on Levi's hip, and he squeezed his eyes shut.

"L-Levi I-I don't-"

Eren seemed to have brought Levi back to his senses. He took a deep breath as he pulled back slightly to rest his forehead against Eren's shoulder.

"Just… just help me into my bed." He sighed as the hand that was previously resting in the brunette's hair slid down to his shoulder so that he could better balance himself.

Eren readjusted his grip around Levi's waist and did what he was told. Once he was comfortably in his bed, Levi ran his fingers through his hair and sighed, gazing up at Eren, who had an odd expression. It was like a mixture of nervousness, embarrassment, and… disappointment? Levi couldn't quite tell for sure though.

"Goodnight Levi," Eren said quietly before shuffling out of the room.

Levi took yet another deep sigh, falling back against his pillow. He turned his head and glanced up at the clock, chuckling softly to himself.

_Stupid brat. It's only three pm._

"So what happened? Eren seemed off when he left." A voice said from the entrance of Levi's room.

"Hm? Oh, hey Petra. Nothing happened," He said, sitting up and resting his cheek against his hand.

"Okay then, I'll come check on you before dinner, see ya later."

The nurse smiled at Levi before exiting the room.

"Yep," he mumbled quietly to himself, falling back against his pillow, "nothing happened at all."

* * *

**I'll try to update as soon as possible. I hope you enjoyed this chapter :) Please review, it encourages me to write more**


	4. Misunderstanding

**Okay. So. A few people have said that Eren was being a total dipshit and should have been more careful when driving, so when I was writing this chapter I made it so that it wasn't _entirely_ Eren's fault. Yay! Problem solved! Anyways, Profitez de ce chapitre!**

* * *

"I hear you're getting out today."

Eren shifted in his chair and turned to look at Levi. Today was his discharge date, but his gloomy appearance was rather contrary to that fact. It's not that he wasn't happy about going home, but rather, he wasn't happy about leaving Levi.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I am."

Levi snatched his plastic spoon off of his lunch tray and chucked it at Eren, successfully nailing him in the forehead.

"Ow! What the hell was that for!?"

"Quit looking so damned depressed brat. You're getting out of the hospital and yet you look like a kicked puppy."

Eren rubbed his forehead and sighed, leaning back in his chair by Levi's bed. He looked over at the man, who was still sending him a rather harsh glare.

"Sorry, it's just, I don't know. Honestly, being here at the hospital with everyone has been the most fun I've had in awhile, if you don't count the broken arm and stuff."

Levi looked at him for a moment then rolled his eyes, lying back against his pillow.

"If being in the hospital is the most fun you've had in awhile, then you really need to get out more," he remarked, eying the suspicious meat on his tray.

Eren's eyes met Levi's for a few seconds before he started chuckling. It wasn't long before his chest was shaking in a total fit of laughter. Levi just watched the younger man for a moment, Eren's genuine happiness making him feel that unfamiliar warmth that was growing a bit too familiar.

After Eren's laughter died down, a comfortable silence took over the atmosphere. Levi set his tray on the bedside table and lied back, lolling his head to the side to look at Eren. The younger man gave him a hesitant look before gingerly placing his hand over Levi's.

"I'm gonna miss you. A lot," Eren admitted, squeezing the other's hand slightly.

Levi just gazed at him for a moment, his heart racing a bit faster as he turned his hand over and squeezed back.

"Yeah, well, I'm gonna miss having you around too Eren."

Eren's hand tightened and he looked up so that their eyes met, "You know Levi, _you_ might not be a hugger, but _I_ am."

Before Levi could respond, Eren leaned forward and wrapped his arms around him, burying his face in the crook of his neck. The man lay still for a moment before returning the gesture, securing his own arms around the other. He brought one of his hands up to Eren's hair, running his fingers through the soft locks soothingly.

"You better come and visit me brat," Levi teased, tightening their embrace. Eren let out a quiet chuckle and smiled against Levi's neck.

"I have to come back twice a week for my therapy. I promise I'll come and see you then."

Eren reluctantly began to withdraw back into his seat, stopping when his face was inches away from Levi's. His heart nearly skipped a beat when Levi interlocked their fingers and reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind his ear.

"Eren, I-"

Levi was cut off by the sound of the door clicking open. Hanji.

"Eren! Mikasa has you're things ready! You're clear to go home now!"

Completely oblivious to her incredibly inconvenient timing, Hanji bounced over to Eren and snatched his arm, practically dragging him out the door. Levi's eye twitched and he cursed under his breath as the doctor pulled the young man away.

Once Eren had said his goodbyes, it was time for him to leave. Mikasa hooked her arm around his good arm while also carrying his bags for him. Eren glared at the floor, embarrassed by his sister's irritatingly possessive behavior. The two of them hustled through the rain and settled into the car.

"Listen to me Eren. When I take you back here on Wednesday, I don't want you visiting _him,_" Mikasa said suddenly.

"What the hell are you talking about? You mean Levi?"

The girl's grip on the steering wheel was firm, and she was glaring coldly out the window.

"Yes. You're not to see him anymore."

Eren just gaped at his sister, baffled by her sudden demand. He turned in his seat and furrowed his brow, growing rather irritated.

"What the hell Mikasa? You can't just boss me around like that. You can't tell me who I can and cannot see."

Mikasa turned her head so that her icy glare was set on her brother.

"I can and I will Eren. Mom told me to look after you and that's what I'm doing. That man is dangerous. This is all _his_ fault," she snapped, gesturing to Eren's cast.

"You don't even know what you're talking about! It isn't Levi's fault! Just stop it Mikasa!"

"He's the one who crashed into you! It's _entirely_ his fault! It wasn't your fault! Look, I don't know if you're covering for him because you have some sort of crush on him or maybe some other reason, but it needs to stop!"

That was it. Eren snapped.

"You know what Mikasa? You're absolutely right. It wasn't my fault. It was _your_ fault! You're the one who fucking called me before the crash and wouldn't let me hang up! _You_ distracted me! So just shut the hell up and leave me alone damn it!"

After his outburst, Eren left the car and stormed off, leaving Mikasa behind. He wrapped his arms around his chest as he hustled around to the back of the hospital in the rain, where he sat down on some stairs by the exit. Eren felt guilty. He didn't mean to say what he said. But Mikasa would not stop saying such terrible things about Levi, and that for some reason pissed Eren off to no end.

The rain was coming down pretty hard as he sat there on the concrete steps. He was taken from his thoughts when he heard the sound of the hospital doors clicking open.

"Kid what the hell are you doing back here at this hour?" The person speaking shuffled over to where Eren was sitting. "Wait, Eren? Is that you?"

Eren turned his head to face whoever had just recognized to him. It was just Hanji. She gave him a confused look and sat down, covering the both of them with her umbrella.

"What are you doing here hun? Where's Mikasa?"

"We got into in argument about something, I was yelling, she was yelling, and now I'm here," he explained, resting his cheek in the palm of his hand. Hanji sighed and took off her glasses to wipe off the rainwater.

"So, what'd you two kids fight about? Let me guess… Was it Levi? I bet it was Levi."

Eren turned to look at her with a slight look of shock on his face, crossing his arms over his chest. Damn this woman was observant.

"How did you even know that?"

The doctor just shrugged and pushed her glasses back on, looking over to Eren and examining him closely, something that would make most people feel uneasy, but Eren had grown used to her often invasive curiosity.

"Well, based on the fact that Mikasa clearly despises the man, and you feel basically the exact opposite about him, it is easy to predict that that would cause some sort of conflict between the two of you."

Eren looked back to the floor and rolled his eyes, running his fingers through his damp hair. "Well, you're right, it was about him. I don't really wanna talk about it though."

The woman nodded and patted Eren on the head like a puppy, another thing he had grown used to her doing. He grimaced at the gesture, which only caused Hanji to laugh a bit.

"If you don't feel comfortable staying at home, you could always stay here for the night," she offered, pointing her thumb back at the hospital building behind them. Eren glanced at the building and his mind wandered straight to Levi, as it seemed to do often these past few weeks.

"Okay. Armin's coming into town tomorrow morning, so I'll call him and stay at his apartment until I can work things out with Mikasa."

* * *

Hanji had managed to sneak Eren into one of the hospital rooms without suspicion from Erwin. After she had left him alone in his room, Eren groaned into his pillow. He knew he was being stupid, and he knew that he shouldn't have said what he had said to Mikasa. Eren never for a second blamed Mikasa for the accident, but when she started spouting those awful things about Levi, he felt as though he would have said anything to defend him.

After lying in his bed for nearly two hours, Eren gave up on sleep and hopped off of his mattress, walking across the room, slowing pushing the door open, and stepping out into the hall. He read the number on his door.

_216_

He remembered easily that Levi was in room _224_. Eren snuck down the long hallway until he reached the room he was searching for.

_What am I even doing? This is ridiculous. _

He put his hand on the door handle.

_Fuck it._

Eren pushed the door open slowly and slipped inside the room. He walked over to Levi's bedside, his heart racing. His entire body froze when he heard Levi shuffling in his bed.

"Ngh- Wha-?" Damn it, did I accidentally push the nurse call button?"

Eren's green eyes widened and he just stood still. He watched as the man began to wake up and sit up in his bed, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. Eren didn't know what was going through his mind when he decided to do this. He often tended to do things without thinking, and this was one of those times, one of those times when his actions were just flat out impulsive.

"No, you didn't. It's me," he said warily, taking another step closer to Levi's bed. He heard the man pause for a minute and saw him lean forward as to try and make out Eren's shape in the darkness of the room.

"Eren? What in the _hell_ are you doing here?" He asked in a hushed yet stern tone.

Eren took yet another step closer to the man, his hands clasped nervously behind his back.

"Mikasa and I got into a huge fight so I ditched her car and came back here. Hanji saw me and offered to let me stay here one night until Armin can pick me up tomorrow," he explained, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

Eren could practically hear Levi shaking his head at him.

"Come here and sit down. I want you to tell me what happened."

Eren didn't hesitate as he took his usual seat next to Levi's bed, resting his arms on the side of the mattress. Levi turned slightly to his side so that he was facing Eren.

"Okay, so, I don't know if you picked up on this, but Mikasa doesn't really like you-"

"Oh really? I had no idea," Levi interjected sarcastically.

"_Anyways,_ so we were in the car and she all of the sudden just flat out told me that I 'wasn't allowed to see you anymore.' She kept blaming you for the accident and then I just got fed up and told her it was all her fault and not yours. I know it was all my fault but I just got so… so _angry_ when she kept saying those things about you."

Eren sighed and rested his forehead against his arms, which were on the edge of the mattress. He paused when he felt a surprisingly warm hand on his head, gently running through his hair.

"You didn't have to defend me Eren." Levi sighed. "This isn't your fault, and it isn't Mikasa's. It's mine, okay?"

Eren tilted his head up so that he was looking in Levi's direction with a confused look on his face.

"But-"

"No Eren, it's _my_ fault. Even if you hadn't dropped your phone like you said you did, we would have gotten into that accident. Eren, I wasn't in the right state of mind that night. I was distracted."

"But Levi I still-!"

"_Eren._ Listen to me. I was going sixty in a twenty-five. If you refuse to let me take the blame, then how's this… we are _both_ at fault for that night. I want to move on." Levi shifted his hand down so that it rested on Eren's cheek. He sighed in relief when he felt the boy nod.

"Okay Levi, I wanna move on too."

Levi scooted over to the other edge of his bed, pulling the covers down a bit. He patted the space next to him. "Come on."

Eren nodded and stood up, climbing onto the space in the bed next to Levi. He rested his head in the crook of Levi's neck and draped his good arm over the man's chest. Eren found himself thinking that the weirdest part about this entire situation was that it _wasn't_ weird. At all. It felt as though he belonged there in this man's arms. It was terrifying and exciting all at once.

Levi wrapped his arm around Eren and closed his eyes, his fingers running through the brunette's hair out of habit.

* * *

"Good Morning!" Hanji practically yelled, happily shuffling over to where Eren and Levi had fallen asleep. She leaned over the two of them with an ear splitting grin on her face.

"Did you boys sleep well last night?"

Levi groaned and buried his face against Eren, trying to muffle the sound of Hanji's booming voice. The doctor chuckled and walked over to Eren's side of the bed.

"As much as I hate interrupting your cuddle time with Levi, I'm afraid your adorable little friend Armin has come to retrieve you."

Eren cracked an eye open and glared at Hanji, who in return just laughed as she usually did. He turned his head to the side so that he could look at Levi, who had fallen back asleep. Hanji gave him a knowing look and nodded.

"I'll give you guys a minute. You're friend is in the lobby waiting. I'll see you around doll face." She waved goodbye and left the room, leaving Eren and Levi alone once again.

Eren reached over and brushed the hair off of Levi's face, leaving his hand there for a moment. He looked at his sleeping face one more time, then suddenly, the door flew open.

Eren shot up from his place on the bed, and Levi groaned, sitting up with him. Standing in the doorframe was a tall woman with a very angry expression on her face. She had platinum blonde hair cut to her shoulders and was wearing a black skirt suit. The woman angrily stomped over to Levi's bedside, her four-inch heels clacking loudly with her steps.

"What in the _hell_ is the matter with you Levi?"

Levi gave the woman an icy scowl and sat up straighter as Eren just sat there in confusion.

"How did you even know that I was here Amanda?" He practically growled behind clenched teeth.

"First of all, you know I hate being called that, and second of all, that doesn't matter! I've been looking for you for almost five months now! I have the right to know when you get in a fucking car accident Levi!" She shouted, folding her arms over her chest. "And who is this?" She added, gesturing to Eren.

Eren's eyes widened and he looked to Levi with a panicked expression.

"Leave him out of this _Mandy."_ Levi demanded agitatedly.

"It's fine, um, I-I'm Eren. So a-are you Levi's sister? I didn't know he had any family," He muttered nervously.

The woman leaned closer and stared at Eren. "No," she said and raised her left hand, revealing an engagement ring and a wedding band on her finger, "I'm his wife."

"His… wife?"

"Yes, his _wife_."

Eren felt like he had just been punched in the gut. He slid out of Levi's bed and shuffled to the door, stumbling on his way out.

"I-I'm so sorry. I-I need to leave."

"Eren hold on! Please wai-"

Before Levi could finish, Eren left the room and hustled to the lobby of the hospital. After looking around for a minute he spotted Armin. He immediately dropped his head on Armin's shoulder and he groaned with extreme frustration. Confused, Armin just started patting his friend's back comfortingly.

"Eren what's wrong? Did something happen?"

"He's married," Eren muttered.

"Wait what?"

"Levi!" Eren pulled back and tried his best to hold back any tears threatening to fall. He had cried enough over this man.

"He's married Armin!" He yelled, the hurt evident in his voice.

"Oh man, I'm really sorry Eren," Armin placed his hand on Eren's shoulder and gave him a sympathetic look, "I know how much you liked him."

Eren gave him a weak smile and thanked him for his concern.

_No Armin. You have no idea how much I like him. _Eren thought to himself as the two of them left the hospital.

* * *

Eren plopped down on Armin's couch and sighed deeply. Armin was letting him stay at his apartment until things blew over with Mikasa. He felt lucky to have such a good friend. Having a best friend like that is crucial, especially when your heart has been broken.

Eren's phone began buzzing in his pocket so he pulled it out and read the caller ID. _An unknown caller?_ He picked it up anyways.

"Hello this is Eren speaking," he said dully as he picked up the TV remote and began flipping through the channels. There was a pause on the other line before a voice spoke up.

"_Eren. It's me."_

The sound of Levi's voice through the phone made Eren's stomach twist in knots. He was feeling a mixture of hurt, pain, and rage as he thought of what to say.

"Please, don't call me again," he said, his voice trembling.

"_Eren ple-"_ He hung up the phone and dropped it on the couch, groaning into his hands. Seconds hadn't even passed before his phone began to buzz again. He decided to let it go to voicemail. Once he was sure Levi was done with his message, he picked up the phone and opened the voicemail.

"_Eren, look, I know you don't want to talk to me right now and I get it. But you don't understand. Whatever you're thinking right now, you're wrong. I can't explain this to you in a voicemail so I really need to talk to you person. Please visit me when you're here on Wednesday. Please Eren. I _need_ to see you."_

Eren's hand tightened around his cellphone as he thought of what to do. He didn't know whether Levi's explanation was worth listening to. He was married. What could Levi possibly have to say to explain that?

Eren just put his phone away and lied back on the couch, contemplating the overwhelming amount of things going on in his mind.

* * *

Levi angrily groaned and dropped his head against the wall behind the bed. The woman standing beside him looked to the door, where Eren had just left in a hurry, and she looked back at Levi, putting things together.

"So, you don't see me for what was it? Five, six months and you're hooking up with some kid?"

Levi glared at her angrily and sat up straighter.

"No. I am _not_ 'hooking up' with him. What are you even doing here?"

"I'm your _wife_ Levi! I have a right to know when you've been hurt damn it!" The woman yelled, pointing at Levi as if scolding a child.

"Oh _please_, don't pretend like that means anything. This isn't a marriage Mandy, this is just a business agreement and you damn well know it. I made it _very_ clear from the beginning that I was not interested in a romantic relationship with you. Also, it's not like you have to pay my medical bills."

The woman looked away from Levi and glared at the floor.

It had nearly been four years since Amanda had met Levi. At that time, Levi was living in Annecy, a charming little city in the eastern side of France, and Amanda was visiting from Los Angeles to visit her cousin. After meeting at a party, she and Levi had become rather good friends during her visit to France.

On her last day in the country, Levi mentioned to her how he had always wanted to move to America, but was having difficulties in getting a green card in order to do so. One thing led to another, and the two of them had come to an agreement. Amanda would marry Levi so that he could legally live in the United States until he became a full citizen, and in return, Levi agreed to pay Amanda's way through grad school and help her with her student loans.

* * *

The day Eren was coming back to the hospital for his appointment finally came. Levi sat up in his bed and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. He knew Eren was there in the hospital, and he already guessed that he wasn't going to visit him. After what Eren witnessed yesterday, Levi wasn't surprised. Anyone probably would have misunderstood the situation.

He looked up when he heard the door opening. His shoulders sank when it was only Hanji and he sighed.

"Well it's good to see you too," she said sarcastically, walking over to Levi.

"He's here isn't he?"

Hanji pushed her glasses up and nodded. "Yeah he's here. Why do you ask?"

Levi paused for a moment before pulling the covers off, turning and placing his feet on the floor. He gripped the edge of the mattress and tried pushing himself up. His balanced wavered for a moment but he quickly caught himself, wincing as his stiff limbs stretched.

"Where is he?"

Hanji hesitantly walked closer to Levi, ready to assist him if he were to fall.

"Levi you aren't done with physical therapy yet. You really shouldn't be…"

She stopped when Levi grasped onto his I.V. stand and took a step forward. Slowly he took another unsteady step, and then another until he was standing in front of the doctor.

"Show me where he is."

* * *

"Eren dear, Marco should be ready for you soon, he's with another client right now I believe," Petra said, smiling kindly at Eren.

He nodded as he fidgeted in his chair, trying to think about anything except for Levi, but to no prevail. He bit at his nails nervously and flinched when Petra slapped his hand away.

"Don't do that. It's a bad habit," she scolded. But Eren just smiled softly and rolled his eyes. It was actually comforting having somewhat of a mother figure around again.

"Don't roll your eyes at me, I'm being serious! Biting your nails is a really bad habit!" Petra tried to sound serious but could not help but smile. She looked up and her smile faded. It was replaced with what looked like surprise. "Is that… Levi?"

Eren's eyes widened at the mention of Levi, and he turned to look behind him where Petra had been staring. She was right. There was Levi, and he was walking. Eren stood up from his seat and walked over to him. Once he was standing in front of him, the first thing he noticed was how much shorter the man was. He never really had the chance to pick up on that. Eren shook that thought and focused.

"You're… walking."

"Yeah no kidding, and it's really painful so this just goes to show you the lengths I'll go for you brat."

Eren crossed his arms over his chest and furrowed his brow. Now that he was here, he wasn't going to let Levi go without the immaculate explanation that was promised to him over the phone.

Levi looked up at Eren and sighed. "Okay okay I'm going to explain now, but can we please go sit down? I think I'm gonna pass out if I stand another minute."

* * *

"So you see, we are _technically_ married, but it is little more than a business agreement."

Eren looked to Levi, a feeling of immense relief washing over him.

"Oh I see." Eren's eyes shifted to the floor. "I'm really sorry for getting so upset over this. I-I mean, even if she _was_ your real wife, I'd really have no right to be upset about that I guess," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

Levi reached over and tilted Eren's chin up so that he was looking at him. "Well, if _you_ were married, I know it would drive me crazy."

Eren's lips parted as if to respond, but no words would come out. Levi was doing what he always did to Eren, charming the hell out of him. He gently brushed his thumb over Eren's lower lip, and the younger man's breath hitched as he stared at Levi with his green eyes half-lidded.

"Dr. Bodt will see you now Mr. Jaeger."

Eren's eyes widened and he pulled away to turn and look at the male nurse standing behind him. The man gestured to the door of Marco's office and Eren just nodded numbly, glancing back over to Levi, who looked absolutely pissed off.

"I'll come and see you before I leave, okay?" Eren said, receiving a nod in response.

'I'm sorry!' The younger man mouthed to Levi before following the nurse into the other room.

Levi buried his face in his hands. "Every damn time," he groaned.

* * *

**There's chapter four. Hope you enjoyed it. Also, I would really appreciate it if you gave me a review, it keeps me motivated :)**


	5. Trust

**First things first, thank you all so much for the reviews! :) Especially in the last chapter! **

**So, this is the first chapter that I've written where I didn't have the whole thing planned out in my head. Most of the plot was just written as I went along so I hope it's not too bad. It's also kind of short. Sorry :(**

**Also, again, with medical terms and stuff, please don't be nitpicky. I'm not a doctor so I will most likely get a term or two wrong XD. Anyways, as always, ****profitez de ce chapitre!**

* * *

Once he had entered the small office, Eren took a seat on the leather couch across from where Marco was sitting. The first thing that the young doctor noticed was Eren's anxiousness. The boy was acting as if he needed to be somewhere else, and that somewhere seemed to be very very important.

"Eren are you feeling alright?" he asked, giving him a look of concern.

Eren glanced up at Marco from where he had been previously glaring at the floor, his knee shaking impatiently.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. It's nothing." He lied, bringing his hand up as he began nervously biting at his nails again.

Marco studied Eren's stance closely, using what he had studied about human activity to figure out what exactly was bothering the young man.

"Let me guess. By the slight blush on your cheeks and your anxiousness, I'm going to say this has something to do with Mr. Ackerman. Am I right?" Marco asked, receiving a stunned stare from the boy in response. He chuckled and tapped his pen against his clipboard, leaning back in his chair. "I'll take that as a yes."

"How did you even know that?" the young man asked in amazement.

"Eren, I'm a psychiatrist. I've been trained specifically for reading people and their emotions." The doctor sighed. "You really underestimate my abilities."

Eren just laughed softly and shook his head, taking a deep breath and finally beginning to relax a bit.

* * *

Mikasa had called Armin and asked him if she could be the one to pick Eren up from the hospital. Of course she wanted to go and see her brother again, but she also had other motives.

When she entered the building, she paused in her steps, cursing under her breath when she couldn't recall the number of the hospital room she was planning on visiting. Mikasa looked around the lobby for a moment as she approached the woman behind the front desk.

"Excuse me miss, can you tell me which room Levi Ackerman is currently in?"

The woman glanced up from her computer and gave the girl a suspicious look. Mikasa quickly remembered that if she wasn't family, and if she wasn't on the visitation list, then she wouldn't be able to see the man she was looking for.

"I'm his… niece," Mikasa lied, fidgeting with the red scarf around her neck.

The woman nodded understandingly and opened a file on her computer. Mikasa stood there anxiously, hearing the mouse clicking a few times.

"Room two twenty-four dear. Second floor to the right."

Mikasa smiled briefly at the woman and took a step back. "Thank you miss," she said hastily before fast-walking over to the elevator.

Once she has made it up to the second floor, Mikasa followed the woman's directions and took a right, quickly finding the room she was looking for. She took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

Levi was sitting up in his bed, reading a rather long novel. He glanced up from his book, eyeing Mikasa with a puzzled expression.

"Can I help you?"

Mikasa took a step into the room and shut the door behind her. "Yes. You can help me by staying the hell away from my brother," she said coldly, glaring at Levi.

Levi sighed and sat up straighter, looking at the girl in front of him. "Tell me Mikasa, why do you dislike me so much? Is it because you think I'm going to hurt Eren?"

She clenched her teeth and fists firmly, frustration and anger pulsing through her. "I just, I just don't trust you. Eren has been hurt too many times and I'm not going to sit back and watch you break his heart. You've already hurt him once," she said harshly in an accusatory tone.

Levi hardened his glare and shut his book, leaning over to set it back onto his bedside table. "First of all, that accident was an _accident, _and second of all, what makes you think that I'm going to break his heart? Is it so crazy for you to believe that I might actually like Eren? Hell, that I might actually be falling for the brat."

He said it. Levi actually said it. The man couldn't believe what he had just said to Mikasa. But none the less, he said it, and the part that scared him the most is how true his words actually were.

Mikasa's eyes widened and she looked at Levi like he was absolutely insane. "You _what?_"

He took a moment and then sighed. "You heard what I said, and I don't like repeating myself. You're just going to have to trust me when I tell you that I would _never_ hurt Eren, and if you care about him, and I can obviously see that you do, you will let him make his own decisions."

The girl took a deep breath and unclenched her fists. She cared for Eren more than anything else. He was her entire world. Mikasa knew that she could be a bit overprotective at times and that she would have to let go eventually.

Levi spoke up again. "Eren is twenty-three years old Mikasa. He's a big boy. You need to have more faith in your brother."

Levi was right, and Mikasa knew it.

"If you hurt him, you're dead." She threatened, pointing at him.

Before Levi could even respond to the girl's threat, she tightened her scarf and left the room, pausing when she was reached the doorframe.

"I have some errands to run, I'll be back to pick him up at noon." She looked back at the man and softened her expression. "Take care of him while I'm gone."

As Mikasa walked off, Levi couldn't help but smile.

* * *

After his appointment was over, Eren didn't waste anytime as he stood and left the office, hastily making his way to Levi's hospital room. Before he could reach the room, someone grabbed his arm and pulled him off to the side. Eren composed himself and looked up to see his sister standing in front of him with her arms crossed over her chest.

"What the- Mikasa? Why are you here?"

The girl muttered something inaudibly and glanced off to the side.

"What did you say?"

She scoffed as she planted her arms firmly against her side and stared up at her brother. "I said I came here to say I'm sorry!" she said a bit loudly.

Eren didn't expect- no, he didn't _want_ Mikasa to apologize to him. He's the one who freaked out on her and blamed her for something that wasn't even her fault.

"No. Please Mikasa." Eren sighed and looked down at the floor shamefully. "If anyone should be apologizing, it's me."

"Eren you don't-"

"Just stop. Listen, you did nothing wrong. You were just looking out for me and I overreacted. Can we please just move on from this?"

The worry in Mikasa's expression faded and she stepped forward, wrapping her arms around her brother as a silent way of saying, 'I forgive you.'

She pulled away from Eren and crossed her arms again. "You're right. You were being a total asshole. But if you actually let me finish, I was going to apologize for what I said about Levi. Don't get me wrong, I still don't really trust the guy, but I know now that I shouldn't be so hasty to judge."

Eren stared at his sister, amazed by her words. This time, he was the one who wrapped his arms around her. He hugged Mikasa tightly, a huge grin plastered on his face.

"Thank you Mikasa. That really means a lot coming from you."

The girl smiled briefly as Eren pulled away. She hadn't seen Eren look so happy in a while, and all because she gave him her half-approval of Levi. Mikasa thought to herself that if Levi made Eren _that_ happy, then maybe he wasn't as bad as she had originally thought. Maybe she could let go.

Mikasa told Eren that she would pick him up at noon, then the two siblings said their brief goodbyes.

* * *

Once she was gone, Eren quickly laced his way through the people blocking his path in the hallway and stopped in front of the door he was looking for. The door to Levi's room. Eren entered the room and took his usual seat next to the bed.

"So how'd your appointment go?" Levi asked, sitting up a bit straighter.

Eren shrugged and looked over at him. "It was fine. Oh, and Mikasa stopped by. We made up and-"

Before Eren could say anything else, Hanji entered the room, the two young interns from a few days ago following behind her. She approached Levi and took a quick glance at her clipboard, reading over a couple of things.

"Hello Levi. I don't know if you remembered or not, but your spinal tap is scheduled for today."

Levi looked to the doctor and nodded. "Yeah, are we doing that right now?" He asked.

"Yep. But it will be over super quick, I promise."

Eren gave both Hanji and Levi a confused look and leaned forward in his chair a bit. "A spinal what now?"  
Hanji turned to face the young man and walked over to where he was sitting. "A spinal tap, or a lumbar puncture, is when we measure the pressure of and collect your cerebrospinal fluid for laboratory analysis."

Eren just stared at her, not understanding any of the big science words she was throwing at him.

She chuckled a bit at Eren's confusion. "Okay, so basically, we're going to insert a needle between two of Levi's vertebrae in his back to remove a sample that we need. We're doing this because of the seizure he had recently. The information we gather from this test can help diagnose any brain bleeds undetected by the CT scans," she explained, rather amused by Eren's horrified expression.

"Eren if you can't handle needles then you might want to step out of the room," Levi suggested after pulling off his shirt, turning onto his side and drawing his knees up to his chest so that the two young doctors could begin prepping him for the procedure.

It took Eren a moment to respond, but that _totally_ wasn't because he was distracted by Levi's shirtless state, or at least he would never admit that it was. Eren shook his head and scooted his chair so that it was right beside the bed. "No, I'll be fine. I wanna stay. You know…" he took Levi's hand, "for moral support or whatever."

The older man just rolled his eyes, gripping Eren's hand as Hanji made her way to the other side of the bed. She walked over to the sink and snapped on a pair of latex gloves before coming back to where Levi was.

"Okay. First we are going to inject a basic anesthetic. Springer hand me the lidocaine."

Eren could feel Levi's hand tightening over his own as Hanji inserted the needle. He looked down at him sympathetically as the doctor prepared the larger needle for the procedure. Levi squeezed down on Eren's hand with a bone-crushing grip when Hanji began. The young man bit down on his tongue to hold back a hiss caused by the pain Levi was inflicting on him with his surprisingly strong clutch.

"Does it hurt?" Eren asked.

Levi glared up at him. "No it feels like a relaxing Swedish massage," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh, sorry," the young man muttered, wincing when Levi gave his hand a particularly hard squeeze.

* * *

"Thanks."

Eren glanced over at Levi. "For what?"

"Just, you know, for being here," he murmured as his eyelids grew heavy.

After the procedure was over, Hanji had given Levi some prescription pain meds to help with the soreness. He may have taken one too many... or four too many. Who knows. Anyways, the meds Levi had taken were beginning to make him feel rather loopy.

"Does it still hurt?" Eren asked, placing a hand on Levi's shoulder comfortingly.

"Huh? Oh, nope. Doesn't hurt, not at all," Levi mumbled, lolling his head to the side so that he was looking at Eren. He reached out and rested his hand against the young man's cheek, smiling, something that looked rather uncharacteristic on the man's usually serious face. Eren quirked an eyebrow when Levi suddenly began laughing for no reason.

"What's so funny?" Eren asked, unable to hold back a smile at the man's silly behavior.

"Nothing." Levi brushed the hair away from Eren's face and looked at him hazily. "You're pretty."

Eren chuckled and shook his head. "And _you're_ on a lot of meds right now."

Levi rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through the younger man's hair briefly. "Yeah yeah yeah whatever. You're still pretty," he said, pulling his hand back and sighing.

Eren looked at the man for moment then stood up, getting ready to leave. He figured that Levi might want some time to rest, but right as he was about to walk away, Levi grabbed his wrist.

"No. Stay," the man slurred, tugging on the sleeve of Eren's sweatshirt.

Eren smiled and sat back down. "Okay okay. But are you sure you don't want to get some rest?"

Levi just shook his head and continued pulling at the young man's sleeve. "I wanna rest. I just don't want you to leave."

"Alright but just give me a second." Eren stood back up and went to go shut the door and turn the lights off. He walked back over to Levi, but didn't even get to sit down before the man grabbed his arm again.  
"Lay with me."

The young man hesitated for moment, but eventually he climbed into the bed next to Levi, who immediately latched onto him, wrapping both arms around his torso and resting his head against his chest.

Eren grunted and shifted his cast, "Careful with the arm."

"Sorry," the man murmured, burying his face into the crook of Eren's neck. He hummed contently and tightened his arm around Eren.

"So am I just going to be your pillow for the next few hours?" Eren chuckled, resting his other hand against Levi's upper back.

"Mmhm," he mumbled softly.

"Man, you sure are clingy when you're all loopy on drugs."

Levi lifted his head and brought a finger up to Eren's lips, his vision focusing on the young man through the darkness of the room as leaned a bit closer to him. "Pillows don't talk," he whispered.

Eren's heart began to beat much faster. The actual closeness of the other man was beginning to sink in, and he was growing extremely anxious. His breath hitched in his throat when Levi slowly moved his finger down his lips, his eyes half-lidded.

"Really?" Eren swallowed nervously. "Well then maybe you should shut me up," he murmured lowly against Levi's finger.

Levi used his other arm to push himself up so that he was hovering over the young man. He leaned in so that their faces were merely inches apart, the tension between the two of them growing thicker with each passing second.

Eren shuddered when he felt Levi's breath hitting his parted lips. He had been waiting for what felt like forever. Eren wanted this. No, he needed it. No more waiting.

Eren's eyes fell onto Levi's lips, and he let out a shaky sigh. "Damn it Levi just kiss me already," he demanded breathlessly, his entire face turning red with embarrassment at his own words.

Levi didn't hesitate to grab Eren's chin and cover the boy's mouth with his own. After the initial surprise wore off, Eren responded, pressing and moving his lips against Levi's. He brought his hand up and tangled his fingers in the man's hair, lightly tugging on the soft black locks.

Levi's tongue brushed along the seam of Eren's mouth, to which he gladly parted his lips, granting him access. An intense wave of heat pulsed through Eren's body when he felt Levi's tongue tangle with his own and explore nearly everywhere inside of his mouth.

Levi swung his leg over Eren so that he was straddling his hips, their crotches pressing dangerously close to one another. One of his hands was caressing Eren's jaw, helping to coax the boy's mouth open, his other hand inching its way under Eren's shirt.

Eren pulled away from Levi's lips and started placing sloppy open-mouthed kisses along his jaw, pausing at his ear when he heard the man inhale sharply. When he realized that was probably one of Levi's sensitive spots, Eren grinned and swept his tongue along the shell of his ear, stopping every once and awhile to gently nibble on his earlobe.

Levi squeezed his eyes shut and ran his fingers through Eren's hair, gripping down and pulling the boy off of the sensitive area. "Shitty brat," he panted, smirking as he pressed his lips back down onto Eren's, their tongues swirling against each other.

The sounds of soft gasps and moans and of tongues and lips clashing together were interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

Levi pulled off of Eren and sat up, turning to see who was there. Eren sat up as well, Levi still seated in his lap.

In the doorframe stood a very stunned Mikasa. After a moment of staring at the two men in shock, she cleared her throat and looked away. "When you two are finished, Eren, I'd like to talk to you outside." The girl calmly shut the door and left the room, her entire face bright red.

Eren ran his fingers through his hair, groaning in frustration. Levi put a hand under Eren's chin and tilted his head up so that the boy was looking at him. "Eren I can handle this. Let me talk to her."

"Are you insane? She'll _kill_ you!"

Levi took a deep breath, trying his hardest to keep his head straight. His meds were finally wearing off, but it wasn't the pain pills that were jumbling his thoughts, it was Eren.

Levi tucked a strand of the brunette's hair behind his ear. "Please just trust me with this. Stay here."

Eren gave him a hesitant look before nodding and sighing. "Okay. Fine." He knew he could trust Levi.

Levi shifted off of Eren's lap and planted his feet on the ground taking a few moments to ease himself onto his still stiff legs. Luckily the pain meds hadn't completely worn off so his back wasn't all that sore. He steadily walked out of the room and looked around, spotting Mikasa sitting in a chair across the hall. After reaching the girl, he sat beside her.

"I don't know what you want me to say," he muttered quietly, leaning back against his chair.

Suddenly, Mikasa turned and grabbed Levi's shoulders with her iron grip, looking at him stressfully.

"_Please_ just tell me that it was consensual because I'm trying really, _really_ hard to let go right now. J-Just tell me that Eren is happy. I need to know that he's going to be fine without me always being there! Please Levi! I can't handle this!"

Levi knew that Mikasa was panicking. He could tell that she was trying her hardest to let her brother make his own choices.

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Mikasa, calm down. Everything that has happened between Eren and I has been one hundred percent consensual. He is happy, and most importantly he is safe. Just breathe."

The girl took a few deep breaths and nodded. Levi watched Mikasa for a moment, really beginning to understand just how much Eren meant to her. The fact that she was so hostile with Levi originally actually made him happy. He was relieved that Eren had grown up with someone who loved him that much.

"Levi," Mikasa began, much more calmly, "I'm going to trust you. But, I swear to God, if you hurt him-"

"You'll kill me. I know."

The two just looked at each other for a moment and then began laughing. Once Mikasa had composed herself, she and Levi stood and walked back over to the room. Eren sat up and gave them both an odd look.

Mikasa helped Levi back over to the bed. "Eren, I'm going to go get lunch with Armin downtown. I'll be back later. Call me if you need anything."

Eren decided not to question his sister's actions as she left the room.

Once he was sure that she was gone, he looked at Levi, amazement on his face. "What did you do with the real Mikasa?" he joked.

Levi simply shrugged. "I guess she just changed her mind about me."

"Alright, say what you want, but that was most definitely _not_ my sister."

Levi chuckled and wrapped his arm around Eren, pulling him closer. The young man sighed and closed his eyes, relaxing against Levi's shoulder.

"So, we probably have about an hour, what should we do?" Levi asked, glancing down when he didn't receive a response. He rolled his eyes.

_Of course, he's asleep_.

Levi smiled softly and reached over with his other arm to grab his book off of the table. He turned the bedside lamp on and leaned back. Levi gently started running his fingers through the young man's hair and began reading.

* * *

**Honestly, I actually really like Mikasa. So I didn't want to make her out to be a 'bad guy' in this story. Again, sorry for the short chapter. But I really wanted an entirely separate chapter about Mikasa's development in the story. Next chapter will be longer I promise!**

**Thanks for reading! Please make sure to leave a review to let me know what you thought about this chapter :)**


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